People may need to invest in ink supplies if they want to ensure snaps of some of their most memorable occasions are protected for years to come.

According to a poll by Thomson Al Fresco, reported by News Today, 47 per cent of people have lost photos that were stored on their computer due to problems such as viruses or accidental deletion.

Although 82 per cent of people store images on their family computer, 43 per cent either forget or cannot be bothered to transfer their pictures when they replace their hardware.

While many people may like to ensure this issue is avoided by printing off hard copies, three-quarters say they only select their favourite few for framing or placing in a physical album.

Recently, research conducted by Macworld on behalf of Kodak revealed 88 per cent of people say they use their printer to produce photos, with the news provider suggesting lower costs for items such as cameras have encouraged more people to take up the hobby.